Feeding Families

Eva works full-time while in school to become a medical technician but she and her children still depend on The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB)’s School-based Pantry to help fill their cupboards. Candice relies on her local pantry to supplement her family’s diet with fresh fruit and vegetables. Amara likes to make healthy – and delicious! – kale smoothies for herself and her teenage siblings.

To better reach struggling families in the communities they live, GBFB delivers highly nutritious food directly to public schools through free, monthly food distributions across Eastern Massachusetts called School-based Pantries.

Watch this new video to meet these families and see one of the ways in which GBFB addresses hunger in communities across Eastern Massachusetts.

“If I didn’t have this, I wouldn’t have really anything.” – Eva, mother and client

Every family that registers for a School-based Pantry brings home 40-50 pounds of nutritious food, from fresh fruits and vegetables to meats, dairy, pasta and more. Food is arranged farmer’s market style and clients “shop” for groceries.

GBFB operates nine school-based Pantries in Billerica, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Revere (two locations), Roxbury, Waltham and Weymouth, serving over 2,150 households per month.

“The composite of our families is very varied, and a lot of them are working two or three jobs to try and get something, but those two or three jobs aren’t enough for their income, their rent, and all the other things.” – Barbara, Paul Revere Innovation School

In addition to our School-based Pantries, GBFB distributes healthy food to over 500 pantries, meal programs and shelters to reach the 1 in 9 children in Eastern Massachusetts who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.